Xin Zhilei

Xin was born into a modest family in Hegang, Heilongjiang, where both of her parents suffered from poor health. She was originally given the name Xin Rui (辛蕊; Xīn Ruǐ) by her mother, but when registering her on the hukou, her mother forgot how to write the character Rui and instead changed it to Lei.^[3] Xin started cooking and helped care for her younger brother and sister since the age of six. While she studied fashion design at Harbin Huade University, her father became paralyzed, and Xin took on part-time jobs to support the household. Her father remained paralyzed for five years before his death.^[4]

While studying fashion design in Harbin, Xin began working as a model. A teacher recommended her to serve as a ritual girl for a TV station, where she was noticed by Donnie Yen and his then advertising agent in mainland China, Liang Ting.^[5] In 2007, Xin signed with Liang Ting's agency, Star Union Skykee, after which she adopted the stage name Zhilei, originally suggested by a fortune-teller as Zilei (紫蕾; Zǐlěi) before being modified by Liang. Xin appeared in a 2008 advertisement with Tony Leung, directed by Stanley Kwan and shot by William Chang.^[6] In the same year, she enrolled in a six-month training program at Central Academy of Drama.^[7][8]

In 2011, Xin made her acting debut in the television drama Painted Skin (2011). In the same year, she was cast as the lead actress of Crosscurrent (2016), which languished for years because of budget overruns before Xin gained recognition for the film when it was selected to compete for the Golden Bear at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival.^[9] In 2016, she joined New Classics Media, which cast her in the TV series Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace (2018), a sequel to the popular Empresses in the Palace (2011).^[10] In 2017, Xin appeared in Lu Yang's wuxia film Brotherhood of Blades II: The Infernal Battlefield, which attracted Wang Kar-wai's attention.^[11] Xin gained wider popularity with her supporting roles in Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace (2018) and Joy of Life (2019), both produced by her agency New Classics Media.^[12]

In 2021, Xin was announced to have joined the cast of Blossoms Shanghai, the first television series directed by Wong Kar-wai.^[13] The series premiered in December 2023 to critical acclaim.^[14] Earlier in 2023, Xin starred in the Chinese adaptation of Prima Facie, a one-woman play written by Australian playwright Suzie Miller.^[15] Her performance in this play earned her a Shanghai Magnolia Stage Performance Award. Xin starred in Cai Shangjun's film The Sun Rises on Us All (2025), which premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival and earned Xin the Volpi Cup for Best Actress.^[16][17][18]

From 2018 to 2024, Xin was in a relationship with actor Zhai Tianlin.^[19]

In 2023, Xin disclosed on Weibo that she had experienced molestation in childhood, writing: "I spent the next twenty years healing myself, and my brain would even actively erase that terrifying memory."^[20]